PM, Sonia warn against attempts at communal, caste divide

In an apparent reference to riots in Muzaffarnagar, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said attempts are being made in some parts of the country to divide the society on basis of religion, caste and communities.

Hitting out at the RSS and BJP without naming them, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said "there is a danger from some ideologies, organisations and people who want to divide us".

The two leaders were speaking at the Indira Gandhi National Integration Award function here today. The award was given to noted agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan.

"There is a need to follow the path shown by Indira Gandhi as never before. Today, in some parts of the country, attempts are being made to divide the society on the basis of religion, caste and communities," Singh in his address.

The Prime Minister said it would not be wrong to say that India could achieve the Green Revolution due to Indira Gandhi's leadership and Swaminathan's efforts.

"It was based on this foundation that today we have been able to bring in Food Security Act," he said, referring to the legislation.

Gandhi said "we have always kept national unity as our top priority. There is always a danger from some ideologies, organisations and people who want to divide us. We need to remember Indira Gandhi's courage and her sentiments so that we can fight that fear with conviction."

Lauding the public sector's efforts that connected people of various regions in the country, she lamented that not much attention is paid to uniting differents parts of the country and their people these days.